Before Saemapetch Fairtex reports for duty a few weeks from now, combat sports fans are being treated to a reminder of his grit and elite fight I.Q. during the peak of his prime as a Muay Thai athlete. Sportskeeda has revisited the archives on ONE Championship's official YouTube channel, featuring his grueling bantamweight Muay Thai clash against Ognjen Topic at ONE: Roots of Honor, held at the 20,000-capacity Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, in April 2019.
Watch the full fight below:
Saemapetch stormed out of the gate with an explosive start, immediately forcing Topic onto the defensive with a relentless flurry of punches and kicks. This strategy allowed the Thai striker to completely impose his will, leaving his Serbian-American opponent scrambling to weather the onslaught.
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Despite the early trouble, Topic showed tremendous heart in the final round, staging a spirited comeback. He found his rhythm and connected with a series of clean, effective blows during a late surge that briefly swung the momentum in his favor.
Ultimately, though, Topic's valiant rally wasn't enough to overturn the tide as Saemapetch's early dominance proved decisive, walking away with a majority decision win.
Saemapetch booked to suit up for action at ONE Fight Night 31
Saemapetch Fairtex will surely look to turn back the clock when he returns to action against an impressive up-and-comer on the supporting card of ONE Fight Night 31.
There, the grizzled Thai veteran is penciled to duke it out with the highly touted Abdulla Dayakaev in a bantamweight Muay Thai encounter, happening live in U.S. primetime at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 2.
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch this bout and seven other matchups on the ONE Fight Night 31 card for free through Prime Video.